Volvarian
Overview An ancient race of militaristic people, the Volvarians have developed mostly independant to other cultures, leading them to be what others would call barbaric. A prideful people, they tend to stick to their traditions as closely as possible, and they've grown to heavily dislike non-Volvarians. Most, if not all, of the Volvarian families date back centuries, to a prehistoric period of warring clans. House Del united Volvar and ruled with tyrany, waging war on any who opposed him. After the Alenthylian take over and destruction of the mainland, Volvarian culture has been all but lost, leading to a lasting resentment of Alenthylians and other outsiders. Volvarians are known to have pale skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. They are also slightly taller than a majority of human races. Males are marked with a Del'scar over one of their eyes and females have facial tattoos, both for cultural reasons. Government Del's Court '- Del: '''The ruler of Volvar had only ever been held by a Del. As such, there's no title equivalent to 'king', the ruling Del only ever being referred to as such. They held supreme power over Volvar, and ruled with an iron fist. Most considered them to be tyrants. '-- Thane: The right-hand of the Del. Similar to the Del's naming, the Thane was always held by a member of House Thane, and a more official title was never adopted. The Thanes handled day-to-day matters, running the kingdom in the Del's stead. In the past, plenty of Dels were less than productive in their ruling. '''Dragonguard The Dragonguard were formed under the Del and acted as the military and police force. Originally, they existed to defend Volvar from wild dragons. Over time, they quickly became the most powerful armed force in Volvar, and were officially sanctioned as protectors of the realm. House Vol was placed in charge, due to their size and influence. To be initiated into the Dragonguard, members had to be Del Scarred, to symbolize the strength of the dragons they would be facing, to keep the members humble. Religion Typically, the common folk of Volvar near worshipped the ruling Del, believing them to be flawless, supreme beings. The Dels themselves followed a belief similar to that of Alenthylians', although they admire the dark, seeking to harness its power and master Dark magic. In addition, fire is regarded highly. Not so much as the Del, but Volvarians see the fire as representative of themselves - destructive and unrelenting. Dragons are also revered, as they're known to be beings of fire. The Dels are known to be supreme, the only people powerful enough to master both the Dark and dragons. History '- Rise of the Vols,' Year 447 The Vol clan was the first out of the myriad of warring clans to begin growing in power by conquering and annexing other clans, eventually gaining enough strength to begin forming the first lasting structures in Volvar. '- Rise of the Dels,' Year 449 House Del followed in the Vols’ footsteps, their conquest beginning with the addition of the Thane clan, among others. Their power grew, now rivalling House Vol. '- Other Clans’ Rise,' Years 447 - 454 Among the other clans, a few began to try and rival the Vols and Dels using similar strategies of conquest. Among these are Houses Ghal. None managed to stay united long, as Houses Vol and Del were much too powerful to be rivalled. '- Volvar’s Discovery,' Year 517 A small Alenthylian expedition force lands in Volvar, meeting with House Vol and ultimately deciding to name the land after them. Due to their less-than-warm welcome, the Alenthylians are eventually run out. '- Discovery of Dragoncharms/Del’s Ascension,' Year 720 House Del discovered the Dragoncharms and unlocked their use, leading to the control of dragons and ultimate unification of Volvar. Not even House Vol was able to withstand the dragons. With this, the dynasty of the Del began. '- Fall of the Dels/Avangantamos’ Arrival,' Year 1160 With the Vol rebellion and Alenthylian arrival, the Del were casted out of power and an Alenthylian king put in place in their stead. With this, much of Volvar’s culture was lost, their homes now taken by Alenthylians, leading rise to the popular Volvarian resentment of Alenthyl. '- Mal Rebellion', Year 1162 Mal’Drov strikes out against the Alenthylian government, marking the first significant Volvarian rebellion against Alenthylian leadership. '- Volvar’s Destruction,' Year 1165 The growing Rifts exploded, leading Volvar bathed in radiation and uninhabitable. Many of its inhabitants are killed or turned into beastmen, although not all are killed. A few flee to Deurlyth and the outlying islands. '- Reconstruction', Year 1177 The surviving Volvarians gathered on one of the smaller outlying islands, and eventually reformed their kingdom under House Vol. Due to being rather new, they remain weak - although tensions with Alenthyl began to rise. Skins Characters & Families Characters Del'Drud Del'Gruk Del'Thok Geld'Orn Ghal'Knox Ghal'Thok Ghal'Valkyrie Marina Rein'Unger Rhak'Aren Rhak'Dragor Rhak'Faran Tel'Grov Tel'Von Thane'Amaelia Thane'Luka Thane'Malek Uri'Nika Vol'Krav Vol'Rath Families House Vol: '''Considered the oldest large Volvarian family, House Vol has remained in high standing, despite being vocal anti-Del supporters. In recent years, they oversaw the rebellion to take down the Dels and the reconstruction of Volvar, now being its new kings. '''House Ghal: '''An ancient House, widely renowned as being full of ancient warriors and heroes. They accept any Volvarians without a House, and have risen in size due to that. '''House Del: '''The former ruling house of Volvar, House Del is known for their mastery of Dark magics and use of Dragoncharms. The practice of Del Scarring was formed under their rule. Many regard the Dels as tyrants, due to their iron-fisted reign and cruel laws. '''House Thane: '''The sworn servants of House Del, often being the leading ruler of Volvars' right-hand. In recent years, the only surviving Thanes have denounced the Dels and moved to Deurlyth, their pasts all but forgotten. '''House Rhak: An old house, sworn servants of House Del. The members of House Rhak typically acted as torturers and interrogators for the ruling Del. Most commoners disliked and distrusted the Rhaks due to this, as they had a terrible reputation. Quirks Overview Volvarians, due to their heavily military focused culture, have spawned quite a few odd customs. At least, by the standards of other cultures. Many of their customs are based around the fact that they devote most of their energy and effort into waging war on their enemies, their society and standards built around that. Appearance Volvarians are known to be tall, often ranging from 5' 11" to 6' 5". Most have dark hair, and all have pale skin. The males have a Del Scar over one eye, females having intricate tattoos on their faces, both of which mark them as Volvarian. Smaller, scrawny people are seen as weak and useless to the militaristic Volvarians, as they aren't able to contribute to battles where someone bigger would be able to. Naming Volvarian names are usually compound words seperated by an apostrophe. For example, a name could be Pet'Tron. Names are short and usually gruff sounding. The first part of the name is the house name and the second part is their actual name. Accent Volvarian accents are Russian sounding, sharing some words to mix in to their sentences. "I weel make my revenge, kruv." Practices Birth Traditions Volvarians have adopted traditions of marking their children’s faces at birth. The traditions age back centuries, although their meaning and purpose have differed since then. * Del Scarring: '''Under Del’Gruk I’s rule, the practice of scarring infants’ faces, known as Del Scarring, became law to keep the Volvarians in line. Years later, the law itself was abolished, and the practice was instead used as an initiation for those who joined the Dragonguard. Despite this, Volvarians still take up the tradition to this day, as it symbolizes masculinity and pride in one’s culture, separating them from non-Volvarians. * '''Tattooing: '''Since ancient times, facial tattoos have been viewed as attractive on females among Volvarians. Originally, the practice of receiving facial tattoos was near casual. As time went on, women without tattoos began to be seen as unattractive and undesirable, lacking their feminine charm. Similar to the Del Scars, facial tattoos are used as a way to distinguish Volvarians from foreigners, a symbol of femininity and Volvarian pride. '''Clothing Their dress styles favor dark, bold colors generally, with very basic patterns that display one's house colors. Their outfits tend to favor warm winter clothing, due to Volvar's cold climate. In addition, armor is generally included in any outfit, to be ready for any conflicts that may break out. Food Volvarian cuisine is mostly known for their soups and stews, which are exceedingly common. However, Volvarians also favor baked goods, and have developed a type of pasty, similar to a pie - although it's preparation is much different, and the fillings strictly include meat and the like. Marriage Marriage among Volvarians is viewed as a high form of attachment, the binding of two families. Typically, Volvarians wed for love, and a married couple splitting up is looked down upon heavily. Homosexual marriages are looked down upon, as there's no way to expand a house with them. Although, it's not entirely unheard of. A typical Volvarian wedding ceremony begins with the exchanging of rings (or crowns, in older periods) and saying of vows between the bride and groom. Afterwards, the guests and married couple move to a reception venue. The receptions can last for days or weeks, and involve copious amounts of eating, drinking, toasts, games, and other activities. The toasts begin with the bride and groom taking long drinks of vodka before kissing until the bitter taste goes away. Slavery Slavery was a luxury, generally saved for the Dels themselves. As Volvar was unified, and there was not much outside contact, the Dels instead had near-slave indentured servants, who worked under them for near nothing, save the highest honor of serving a living god. Education Not many are very educated, with reading and writing being seen as a luxury that's hardly necessary, something best saved for those working under the Del. Certain houses and members of the Del's court learned to be literate, both to record history and send easier messages. Magic Dark magic is revered as the strongest, most paramount of magic. Only the Del and the highest up are allowed to even practice it, as most Dels would view those practicing it with high suspicion. Fire magic is one of the only types of magic Volvarians use, due to their great reverence of fire. Other types of magic are seen as silly and frivolous, with no real purpose. Funerals Dying in battle is regarded highly - many believe it is better to be killed in combat than to die old, weak, and useless. When a Volvarian dies or is killed, their body is cremated and their ashes taken back to their family homes.